narrows trail

Loved this hike or should I say rock/ River walk? Per the reccomendations of other reviewers stopped at Zion adventure company and picked up some water pants and shoes; they were awesome BTW, and went riverwalking through the longest slot in the world! Being February the crowds were way down and we had the canyon to ourselves. What an unusual walk and be warned you will get wet feet to say it mildly. There were a few people that took a chance and wore tennis shoes or sandles and they looked miserable. I am sure they did not go far. If you start early, we started at 9 am, the parking lot will be empty as well as the canyon. Bring lunch and plenty of water and spend the morning hiking up to the springs if you can. bTW Zion adventure gives a military discount!

I have hiked the Narrows a dozen times. Having good water shoes (e.g., 5.10 Canyoneers) and a good walking stick are extremely helpful. Without this equipment, you will be limited in how far up the river you will likely go. A dry bag is also helpful (although not as necessary as the shoes and walking stick). There are several companies in Springdale that rent shoes, booties and a walking stick for the day (Zion Adventure Company, Zion Rock and Mountain Guides, etc.) The rentals are well worth it. Most hike the Narrows going upstream about one mile from the Temple of Sinewava shuttle stop. If you hike about 3 miles upstream, you will come to the narrowest section -- the section called "Wall Street" due to its towering narrow canyon walls. You will pass another slot canyon to your right, Orderville Canyon, which provides an interesting diversion. The trip back down is faster because you will be hiking with the stream flow. If you are hiking up stream, and are hiking in a low stream time, you have less need for a dry bag. There is one section right at first that the river will come up to the waist of a typical adult, but you should be able to avoid getting in deeper until you pass Wall Street. But it is always a good idea to take waterproof bags or containers for your electronics should you fall into the water or drop your items. Another option is to hike top down, either in a single day or over a two day period. A permit is required for such hikes. Permits are not required for bottom up hikes. There is an 80 permit limit per day. Permits are available at the visitor center the day before you hike. This one way hike is 16 miles. If you go top down, take a dry bag. Although you will be walking in a canyon in the shade a good portion of the time, take sufficient drinking water.Wear clothes that dry quickly. If you are hiking in colder periods, take an extra set of warm clothing.I like to take dry socks and light sneakers to change into when I get out of the river. There is still approximately a mile walk from the river entrance back to the shuttle stop and I prefer not walking in wet canyoning boots, with booties, after a full day in the river.If this is your first time, chose the bottom up option.The best times to hike the Narrows is from June through September. Don't enter the canyon at times when flash flooding is a possibility. If you do it in the off-season, give serious consideration to using a dry suit. Be sure to take your camera (suitably protected). Have fun.

The walk to the Narrows was easy to moderate. Saw a lot of wildlife along the way. The squirrels were very tamed and got very close to the people. Saw a few bucks and baby dears right beside the trails just grazing away. A lot of people were taking this trail to see the Narrows which we sadly didn't go see but just the entrance which tempted me to go. I must think the walk back was not fun at all walking back with wet clothes or sandals. It's about a 2 mile walk!

So I went on this trail last summer and it was a lot of fun but it was hard we did not go to the end of the trail because we where tired and wet. In some places it is very deep where you can't touch the ground but if u don't want to swim threw there are paths to get you past.

Best time to go? Off season - avoid the crowd and you get clean photo shots. Of course off season means colder water temp, but that's easily taken care of with rented dry pants, neoprene socks and canyoneering shoes. We rented ours from Zion Adventure Co. just outside the park.We hiked 2.5 miles to the end of Wall Street. The hike up to Wall Street is just your garden variety canyon view, but Wall Street is where the money is. So if you don't make it to that point, then you've missed the show.Water level ranges from ankle deep to glute high.

Being there in April with a younger child we didn't plan on walking up the river. We loved the walk to the end of Narrows Trail and were happy to stop there. It was gorgeous, looked like more of the same upstream, and seeing people going in and out with all the rented pants and gear would have been way too much trouble for the short distance we would have gone.

It was on my bucket list! I am thrilled to check it off! They warned of flash floods, but I took the chance and I am glad that I did.

I've twice hiked up the narrows - a couple miles the first time, only a mile or so this time. It is one of my all time favorite hikes. Next visit, I will do the whole thing. I refuse to use the fancy pants or waders, I am there to earn every step and immerse myself in nature, even if it tries to give me frostbite or hypothermia. Ok, really, its safest to use the right gear in the fall, etc.... so next time, I will visit during the summer.

You will be best served by studying what it takes to hike The Narrows. Without any planning, you can still enjoy it though. We heard all about the 16-hike downstream through chest deep icy water and that sounded a bit much for our family. When we arrived, we decided to just take a look at the Narrows by walking the Riverside trail. We arrived at the river entry point and it was only knee-deep or less in most areas. The water was brown, because a flash flood had roared through the day before. But even so, it was awesome! We hiked about 2 miles upstream and then back down. The views along the way are amazing as the canyon literally narrows. Steep cliff walls surround you. Every step must be carefully chosen if you do not have a walking stick. My son and I had an absolute blast enjoying this amazing adventure. We met four 80'somethings who we thought were just wading in the water a bit - well, I was shamed when they corrected me that they were on day two and mile 14! (if they can do it, we will return to do it too one day)

The Riverside walk up to the Narrows entrance is very pretty along the river. Most of this hike was in the shade so it's cooler. We were here in mid October so the water was 52 degrees. We only had water sandals so the cold water actually starts to hurt your feet, so we didn't' go very far into the narrows. But still very pretty. We didn't know then but there are places to rent waterproof pants and shoes so next time we can go further in.

I used two walking sticks, but my son and husband each used one. We went mid-October and rented the shoes, sticks, neoprene socks and the dry pants. We weren't cold at all, so felt it was worth it to rent everything. This hike makes for a long day. I would make it the first (and probably only) hike of the day. It is beautiful and exhausting. Take water, food and a fleece.

Try to leave early in the morning. We found the little trail and I cannot think of the name of it to be just as and at some points even more beautiful than the narrows. It was an experience we will never forget.If you go in cooler weather I recommend you rent the water pants. The shoes really helped with stability. Last yr my husband and I attempted to go in sneakers and jeans. We made it maybe a mile if that and had to turn back. The water can be a little rough and deep in some spots but it is worth it to go.

I saw no point in renting socks and shoes and hiking upstream when there are so many canyons in SW Utah, but I am so glad we did it! There were quite a few people, but you're not all in the same place. (It can be pretty funny watching them, too.) We got in the water about noon (Sept 23) and the light was great for photos. The colors, textures, canyon walls, and light reflecting on water are amazing. We spent about 4 hours, but you can turn back any time.I'm not sure we really needed the rental socks and shoes. It wasn't that cold in Sept. The pole was useful once in awhile, but most of the time just got in the way. Having a straight pole isn't ergonomic and was uncomfortable pretty quickly. We didn't pick out way over rocks. You just walk back and forth with the understanding that the surface is uneven. There was only one muddy bottom place that was slippery. Other than that, footing was pretty good. Current wasn't too bad, either. (Five days later, a man died because of rain, flooding. It can get bad really fast.)We rented shoes, neoprene socks, and a hiking pole from Zion Outdoors, right next to/behind Pizza and Noodle. We went just before they closed and no one else was there. Make sure the socks don't have holes and don't stink. I gave back the frist pair of socks because they smelled gross. I wear a woman's size 8 shoe. The rented shoes were men's size 8.5, similar to women's 10.5. My husband wears size 10.5-11 and ended up with size 13 shoes. He had to ask for larger socks a couple of times because the ones that were supposed to be his size were too small.IF YOU WANT TO HIKE SOMEWHERE DRY FIRST, WEAR THEIR SHOES, THEIR SHOE INSERTS, YOUR OWN SHOE INSERTS AND YOUR OWN SOCKS. That makes them fit just right. We didn't want to carry our own shoes and this worked out perfectly. AFTER the hike, you can't wait to get out of those socks and shoes, so a pair of flip flops (easy to carry) would have been nice. The Narrows is the last shuttle stop, then we had to wear those wet and by then very dirty shoes all the way out to the exit.We hiked Emerald Pools first and it was ok, but nothing great. There were two waterfalls at the first pool that were nice. Middle pool was tiny. Upper pool is a lot of stairs and a pool at the top surrounded by high walls.

When we visited here 6 years ago we did not walk in the river. This time we did. We only went about a mile, but it was truly amazing. We did not rent the boots. Had we done so we probably would have walked further. We did not rent a stick either. There were many home made ones leaning against the wall that people leave for others. If you start late the sticks may all be gone. If I ever get to do it again, I will rent the boots and get a good stick. So sorry to hear that there was a death here about a week later due to a flash flood. Please check conditions before starting out.

If you decide to hike the Narrows, go to the Zion Adventure Company! For $22 they gave you a neoprene sock, sturdy shoes and a hiking stick for the entire day. Believe me when I say it's worth every penny! The water was cold and we hiked 4 miles in water that at times was thigh high. The sock and shoes saved our feet from cold and rocks, and kept us steady in slippery conditions.The hike itself is breathtaking and a wonderful journey! My only complaint is that there are a lot of people all of the time. I like my hikes in a little more solitude, but it was still an adventure.